1. Conjugated polymers

The scientific foundations of polymerization were laid in the first half of the 20th century, in particular by Hermann Staudinger, who proposed the theory of macromolecules in 1920, refuting the idea that polymers were aggregates of small molecules. This view was confirmed by the work of Wallace Carothers, who invented nylon in 1937, and Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who invented polyacetylene in 1958, whose research on polymerization catalysts had a profound impact on polymer chemistry.

These advances laid the foundations for controlled polymerization and paved the way for a polymer industry that continued to grow throughout the 20th century, with the widespread use of polymers in the textile industry (nylon, polyester), packaging (polyethylene, polypropylene), and construction (polyvinyl...